A group of eight Chinese nationals have been deported after an Immigration New Zealand investigation revealed they were illegally working in the construction industry.
The men arrived in New Zealand on visitor visas, but had been working illegally for between one and two years. The men were all living in the same Auckland house.
INZ’s general manager of verification and compliance Stephen Vaughan said the men were detained after a tip-off about unlawful Chinese nationals living in the suburb of Mount Roskill.
"We received the information about these illegal workers, investigated the allegations and eventually located and deported them," he said.
"The Chinese nationals would not divulge any information about their employers but this is a timely reminder that New Zealand businesses have a legal responsibility to ensure their employees are legally entitled to work for them.
"The consequences for employers who allow people to work for them when they are not entitled to can be serious."
Mr Vaughan encouraged employers to use Immigration New Zealand’s online tool VisaView to check whether a person who is not a New Zealand citizen is able to work for them.
"It is completely unacceptable for foreign nationals to be working in New Zealand without the appropriate visa. INZ and the wider Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment monitor different industry sectors and takes strong action when we come across such illegal employment practices.
“We encourage anyone with any information about migrants working illegally to get in touch with us so that we can investigate and take any appropriate action."
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